Sachin Tendulkar Namedropped In Big Warning Regarding 14-Year-Old IPL Star

Former Indian cricket team spinner Venkatapathy Raju believes that 14-year-old IPL sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi needs to prove himself in domestic cricket before he can be considered for the national team. Vaibhav stunned everyone with his performances in IPL 2025 and his batting performances at such a young age sparked comparisons with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. However, in an interaction with Hindustan Times, Raju said that he has a lot of time to establish himself and as of now, Vaibhav needs to prove his mettle in domestic cricket and the U-19 level to put himself in the national team conversation.

"Yes, yes, he will take a lot of time. He has to be one of those guys who needs to well in U-19 World Cups. He has to perform quite a bit in domestic cricket. Four-day games. And we can give time. See, talent-wise, we've already seen him, what he can do with a white ball, right?" Raju said.

Raju also mentioned that it is not the time to compare the youngster with Sachin as the legendary India batter produced brilliant performances in domestic cricket before making his India debut. He advised Vaibhav to follow in the legend's footsteps and prove that he can perform consistently.

"It depends on the consistency, right? We're a firm believer. We might talk about somebody like Sachin, right? First, Ranji Trophy debut, he got 100. Duleep Trophy, he got 100. Rest of India, he got 100, right? All three-day games. All four-day games. All five-day games. So, like that, I think when you know the talent, we should give him enough time to go and play, do well, and you feel that he's really good enough and he can perform, why not? We can still bring him in," he said.

From cricket great Sachin Tendulkar to F1 star Oscar Piastri, everybody is in awe of Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Former England captain Nasser Hussain has joined the list of the teenager's long list of admirers. He has even said that Suryavanshi now has even surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's emergence. 

“It was absolutely unbelievable. Things like this do happen in India. You go back to watching the great Sachin Tendulkar emerging onto the scene, but this even surpasses that. It is unbelievable for a 14-year-old. That's what everyone is saying... what was I doing when I was 14! I was in U15, trying to score some runs. And he's scoring a hundred against some of the best bowlers in the world in 35 deliveries, looking as if that's what he's meant to be doing,” Hussain told Sky Sports Cricket.

“It's also the story of Indian cricket. The strength is in their depth. Yet another young domestic player to get a hundred. It's also about how the IPL is growing in parts of India, which historically haven't produced great players. He's from the state of Bihar, which hasn't produced great international cricketers. He looks like he has a great future ahead of himself,” said Hussain further.

Topics mentioned in this article

Vaibhav Suryavanshi Sachin Tendulkar Venkatapathy Raju India Cricket Team Cricket